Dear Mr. Guimarães, as well as TIA staff,

I merely would like to extend to you, your friends, colleagues, and families, the most cordial Christmas greetings, and so illustrated by a little 32-minute-compilation of Austrian & German Traditional Christmas Carols, many of them famous around the world anyway, and exquisitely sung by the Choir of the Vienna State Opera. Their singing, indeed, directly reaches out from heart to heart! Perhaps you would like to share this with your faithful international audience; I'm sure people will love it!

     Sincerely,

     W.P., Vienna, Austria

Dear friends of TIA,

I heartly wish to you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas,

Egrediétur virga de radice Jesse,
Et flos de radice ejus ascéndet.

A branch from the root of Jesse will be born,
And from it a flower will blossom.

Prope es tu, Domine
Et omnes viae tuae véritas
Initio cognóvi de testimóniis tuis,
Quia in aeternum tu es.

Thou are near, Oh Lord,
And truth is in all Thy paths.
From the beginning I knew Thy precepts,
For Thou art eternal.

     Greetings,

     J.T.A., Chile

Happy Christmas TIA!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!
SHANTI!
JESU KRISTI KI JAI!

     N.C., India

TIA,

All of God's graces and blessings for the season from J. & S.P., our 9 children and 30 grandchildren.

TIA,

O God, Who makest us glad with the yearly expectation of our redemption; grant that as we joyfully receive Thine only-begotten Son as our Redeemer, we may also see Him without fear when He comes as our Judge. - Roman Missal, Collect for the Vigil of Christmas. (Gelasian, ca. 6th century)



May all God's Graces be with you and your family through the New Year.

     E.S.

Dear TIA,

I recently received a Christmas Card with the attached illustration of Mary holding her infant Son.

While otherwise lovely, about a day after it arrived I noticed something: the artist seems to have given Our Lady a fairly low neckline. Upon closer inspection, it can be seen that the neckline opens even lower than the clasp.

Needless to say, I was rather surprised to see Our Lady, model of modesty and spotless purity, depicted this way. On the back of the card? The logo and information of the Missionary Association of Mary Immaculate in San Antonio, Texas. What an irony.

     Merry Christmas,

     P.C.



P.S. - This may be put on the TIA website, if you so desire. I'm wondering if other readers have seen similar cards, although I'd hope not.

TIA,

This Christmas I want to share with you and your readers this inspiring story.
J.M.J.

C.C.

TIA,

Merry Christmas to all my SPECIAL friends. We have attached a story that I think you will enjoy. It reminds us of the value of time spent with loved ones. Take a moment during this Christmas season to make contact with friends and family and enjoy their fellowship.

Have a great Christmas!

     C.F.



A young man learns what's most important in life from the man next door.

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

"Jack, did you hear me?"

"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.

"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.

"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.

"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.

"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important. Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.

As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time. Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture... Jack stopped suddenly...

"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.

"The box is gone," he said

"What box?" Mom asked.

"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it. "Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read. Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.

"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:

"Jack, Thanks for your time! - Harold Belser"

"The thing he valued most was... my time"

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared appointments for the next two days.

"Why?" Janet, his assistant, asked.

"I need some time to spend with my son," he said.

"Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!"

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away... Merry Christmas"

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  The Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ

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